Is “OLOy Cardinal” or “Corsair Vengeance” RAM fine for the 2018 Mac mini, or should I stick to well known brands like Samsung, Kingston or Crucial?

[Diamond Dave]

I’ve ordered an Apple Refurb 2018 Mac mini, and need to order a 2 x 32GB kit to replace the 8GB RAM that’ll come preinstalled.

From various sources, I’ve been able to determine that I need to buy 2666 MHz PC4-21300 DDR4 (260-pin) SDRAM SO-DIMMs.

After researching online prices here in the UK, I’ve discovered that I can buy RAM badged by companies I’ve never heard of, e.g. “OLOy Cardinal”:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B081QL94Y2

for £104.61 each (= £209.22 for 2)


or, say, Corsair Vengeance RAM:

https://www.corsair.com/uk/en/Categ...Vengeance-Series-SODIMM/p/CMSX64GX4M2A2666C18

for £227.99 for 2:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YBW84K9


or “Timetec” RAM for £237.09 for 2 (including delivery):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084Q77FGF


or “Global” RAM for £244.00 for 2:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TVDHHZ6


These are cheaper than the equivalents from, say, Samsung, Kingston or Crucial - i.e. brands I’ve heard of.



For example, there’s Samsung RAM, which is £249.49 for 2:

https://www.flexxmemory.co.uk/memor...in-sodimm-1-2v-cl-19-laptop-ram-memory-module


or there’s Kingston RAM:

https://www.kingstonmemoryshop.co.u...2-32gb-ddr4-2666mhz-non-ecc-memory-ram-sodimm

for which the technical specifications PDF is here:

https://www.kingstonmemoryshop.co.uk/image/product_pdf/hx426s16ib-32.pdf

The “Hyperx” version can be had for £129.90 each (= £259.80 for 2):

https://www.alza.co.uk/hyperx-so-dimm-32gb-ddr4-2666mhz-cl16-impact-d5782029.htm


or there’s Crucial RAM, which is the most expensive, at £286.79 for 2:

https://uk.crucial.com/memory/ddr4/ct2k32g4s266m



So, given that the “OLOy Cardinal” RAM is £77.57 cheaper than the Crucial equivalent, would people who are knowledgable about these things say I’d be fine going with a cheap brand, or would I be better off sticking to, say, at least Samsung or Kingston?

Many thanks for any insight anyone can provide.

 

[frou]

In my experience, weird branded RAM that no one has ever heard of has a much higher chance of having errors (i.e. worse quality control). So don't buy it unless you're okay doing a long soak test with MemTest86 and possibly having to disassemble the Mini multiple times.

That said, I actually had a set of that 64GB Crucial that failed MemTest86 too 🥴. It's all just probabilities I guess.

 

[grayskyz]

I was just checking prices this morning, I've read a few people's reviews on the OLOy Cardinal and Mac minis working perfect so I'm going t go that route......if my BTO mini ever arrives 🙃

 

[Diamond Dave]

In my experience, weird branded RAM that no one has ever heard of has a much higher chance of having errors (i.e. worse quality control). So don't buy it unless you're okay doing a long soak test with MemTest86 and possibly having to disassemble the Mini multiple times.

That said, I actually had a set of that 64GB Crucial that failed MemTest86 too 🥴. It's all just probabilities I guess.

Thanks for your input.

Just from reading various things online over the years, I get the impression that (other things being equal) it's probably safer to buy from a well known / reputable brand, but then as you say it's down to the luck of the draw with the particular DIMMs that you end up with.

I'm aware that I'm almost certainly overthinking all of this (as I always do when I have to make any sort of decision!) but hopefully someone might reply with some sort of "insider knowledge" that we'd all find interesting, which would then make my decision much easier!

For example, I'm thinking along the lines of one of those replies from an industry insider that pulls the shroud off all the marketing nonsense. Something like: "I used to work for such-and-such in South Korea / China / Taiwan, and in fact all that type of RAM is only made in one of 2 factories - X and Y. X makes the good stuff, which is branded A, B & C, and Y makes the rubbish, which is sold as D, E & F, so ALWAYS buy A, B or C branded RAM!" would be just what I'd love to hear, but of course that's extremely unlikely.

I'm not in a desperate hurry fortunately, as I won't get the mini until Wednesday evening, and it'll probably be a week from now before I'll even have the chance to take it out the box, so I'll see what other people have to say over the next few days.

 

[Alexis Noel]

Corsair is 'name brand' of PC parts, specifically gaming PCs, however they did have a RAM line called MacMemory back in the ddr3 days (I have that in my mid 2012 map i7) and 'ValueSelect' RAM, however the Vengeance RAM is also compatible with the Macs.

A good amount of RAM apple has used over the years are Samsung, Micron, Hynix, and IBM, (to my knowledge) so you're safest bet are usually the first 3 (not IBM, that was wayyyy back).

Best Value = Corsair
Least chance of encountering bad RAM modules = Crucial (It is Micron memory, which Apple is currently using on their Macs and selling on their site); an alternative would be OWC RAM which is also Micron

You can maybe find a deal on Hynix RAM on Ebay, however most listing are from China, so, if they are even legit, they'll take a long time to get to you.

Like Hynix, the same goes for Samsung, though not at the same severity.

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd suggest here (if you're in the USA):

Mac Mini Memory Upgrades

DMS offers Apple Memory Upgrades for all Mac Mini Intel Core and G4 Models. Use our Apple Memory Finder to find the right RAM for your model Mac Mini.

www.datamemorysystems.com

 

[Boyd01]

I'd suggest here (if you're in the USA)

The OP wrote: "researching online prices here in the UK".

 

[Diamond Dave]

Corsair is 'name brand' of PC parts, specifically gaming PCs, however they did have a RAM line called MacMemory back in the ddr3 days (I have that in my mid 2012 map i7) and 'ValueSelect' RAM, however the Vengeance RAM is also compatible with the Macs.

A good amount of RAM apple has used over the years are Samsung, Micron, Hynix, and IBM, (to my knowledge) so you're safest bet are usually the first 3 (not IBM, that was wayyyy back).

Best Value = Corsair
Least chance of encountering bad RAM modules = Crucial (It is Micron memory, which Apple is currently using on their Macs and selling on their site); an alternative would be OWC RAM which is also Micron

You can maybe find a deal on Hynix RAM on Ebay, however most listing are from China, so, if they are even legit, they'll take a long time to get to you.

Like Hynix, the same goes for Samsung, though not at the same severity.

Thanks for your input Alexis. That's very useful. Do you have any opinion on Kingston RAM? I've found some that's reasonably priced compared to the equivalents from Samsung or Crucial.

Thanks.

 

[Diamond Dave]

So I spent several hours researching this in more depth, and I now have about a dozen more web pages bookmarked with pricing for various types of this RAM (if anyone is interested).

In the end I was able to order one of the Crucial versions. Compatible modules are listed here:

https://uk.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/apple/mac-mini-(2018)

If you click on "Filter" then "Density", tick "64GB Kit (32GBx2)" then click on "Search results", then ignoring the "Ballistix" product, 2 cheapest options are:

CT2K32G4S266M - https://uk.crucial.com/memory/ddr4/ct2k32g4s266m - £286.79

CT2K32G4SFD8266 - https://uk.crucial.com/memory/ddr4/ct2k32g4sfd8266 - £293.99

I asked Crucial to explain the difference between the 2 products, and the relevant part of one of the emails I received was:

"The main difference is the module "CT2K32G4S266M" is lead free & halogen free which comply with halogen-specific standards & specially made for Mac models. And this part is only compatible with Mac models."

So, not only is the first option built specifically for the Mac, but it's better for the environment, and is cheaper too.

But, widening the search beyond Crucial's own site, I was able to find the second option far cheaper:

CT2K32G4SFD8266 - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZLC26HY - £103.90 per 32GB module = £207.80 for 2.

Unfortunately all the other resellers selling this type of RAM are selling the CT2K32G4SFD8266 product too. I was unable to find the CT2K32G4S266M version for sale anywhere from a UK reseller other than from Crucial themselves.

So, it was a choice between £207.80 or £286.79. A no-brainer.

Fortunately, the CT2K32G4SFD8266 product is definitely compatible, as confirmed by Crucial:

"...we would like to inform you that CT2K32G4SFD8266 is compatible with Mac Mini 2018."

so that's what I ordered from Amazon.

Thanks for everyone's input, and I hope my research is of help to others.

 

[deksawyer]

I hope those Crucial ram sticks work Diamond Dave as I've just bought them on your recommendation. Bloody great price.... Was just about to pull the trigger on a 32gb set from Corsair at £120 (which I thought was a great price too).

Why not max it out, eh?

 

[Diamond Dave]

I hope those Crucial ram sticks work Diamond Dave as I've just bought them on your recommendation. Bloody great price.... Was just about to pull the trigger on a 32gb set from Corsair at £120 (which I thought was a great price too).

Why not max it out, eh?

Just to be clear, I've not recommended the Crucial or any other type of RAM. I posted the thread in the first place because I'd no idea which was the best type to buy.

All I essentially did in my previous post was to show anyone that's interested where you can buy the Crucial CT2K32G4SFD8266 product (NOT the lead & halogen free / specially made for Mac product) for the best price in the UK - which happens to be Amazon at the moment.

So, if you buy this and it doesn't work out well for you - don't blame me! The recommendation came from Alexis Noel. I'm sure he's right though in that Crucial branded RAM = Micron RAM = what Apple use themselves, so - other things being equal - buying Crucial is a wise choice.

My RAM actually arrived from Amazon about an hour ago. Over £200 worth of product, unceremoniously dumped through my letterbox, with nothing protecting it other than the flimsy clear plastic snap-pack things that each DIMM comes in, and the thin cardboard A5-size Amazon envelope surrounding the 2 snap-packs. No bubble wrap, no Jiffy bag, nothing, let along Tracked or Signed For delivery. So be warned about that too. Pretty pathetic really.

Also, I strictly speaking didn't need to buy the RAM at the moment. I only did so as I ordered the mini a week ago, and I only did that because it was a very rare specification that finally appeared on the Apple Refurb store and I thought I better snap it up as I'd never seen that spec on the Refurb store before, or any minis at all for months.

The point of telling you all of this is that I'm highly unlikely to even take the mini out of its shrink wrap for many weeks, let alone get around to installing the RAM. So I won't be able to report back on whether it works or not for a very long time unfortunately.

Anyway, good luck to everyone with their RAM purchases, and especially with their DIY upgrades!

 

[deksawyer]

Dinnae get yer knickers in a twist! I was merely joking, and if you look oot yer windae you might see me waving!

I'll report back on Tue, or whenever the RAM arrives and let you know it's woking, hopefully...

cheers

D.

 

[deksawyer]

Ram will be here in about an hour according to Amazon, meanwhile this was delivered for my external storage (Logic sessions etc). Orico TB3 enclosure isn't here though...

 

[deksawyer]

@Diamond Dave Those Crucial ram sticks are working a treat - thanks for pointing them out.

 

[brdeveloper]

Just installed 2x16GB Kingston HyperX Impact's on my Mac Mini 2018. The performance gain is perceptible, and I think CL15 latency is the main responsible compared to the original CL19 modules. A simple browsing on Opera feels snappier. Even opening never-opened apps after boot loads faster.